Should Bihar elections be held amid pandemic? As parties debate, lessons from South Korea

With Bihar set to go to polls in October-November (an official announcement from the Election Commission awaited), political parties have become increasingly divided on the topic; some outfits want the elections to be conducted on time, while others have expressed concern over the public safety issues. The ruling NDA alliance found itself split on the issue, after BJP ally Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) joined the opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) in expressing concern over the holding of the assembly polls amid a spread of COVID-19 cases. LJP president Chirag Paswan said it will put people at risk and may result in a very low voter turnout.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD(U) was quick to snub him and asserted that timely elections would be in interests of "good governance". The BJP's response was more guarded as the party said that conducting elections was the prerogative of the Election Commission.

In his tweets, the LJP president said, "Not only Bihar but entire country is affected by the coronavirus. It has impacted finances of the Centre as well as Bihar. Holding elections amid this will financially burden the state more." He added, "The Election Commission should take a decision with a lot of deliberations. It should not happen that a huge population is put into danger. Polling percentage may also be very low if elections are held amid this pandemic which is not good for democracy." However, he said his party is ready for the polls.

The state polls are due in October-November. The Election Commission has so far not made any official announcement about the schedule. There have been numerous questions over how the polling can be conducted. In May, Deputy chief minister Sushil Modi had even hinted at the possibility of online polls. "The Election Commission of India should develop a digital polling method for Bihar polls as social distancing should not be broken for the voters to go to polling booths to vote. It is not impossible to conduct polling online," he had said. 

A few days ago, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav had said that it would not be proper to hold the elections during the pandemic as he described the situation in the state as "scary". Asked about whether he thought it would be proper to hold elections in time in view of the rising cases of the infection, he had said, "I think it would not be proper. The situation in the state is scary and the people have been left to fend for themselves in the face of the raging pandemic."

Both the BJP and the JD(U) have asserted that they are ready for the polls and have been holding organisational meetings. JD(U) spokesman Rajiv Ranjan Prasad said his party believes that the Election Commission has taken a decision after consultations with all political parties to hold the elections on time. "The Janata Dal (United) has made its preparations keeping in mind the possibility of the elections being held on time," he said. He added that timely elections would be in interests of "good governance and helping Bihar get its due respect on the national stage".

BJP spokesperson Nikhil Anand said the ECI is already working on modalities to ensure not only free and fare, but also safe, elections in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. "If the ECI is satisfied with situation, then the elections will surely take place on time," the saffron party said in a statement.

RJ(D)'s coaltion partner Congress, however, has favoured timely assembly polls with some conditions due to the COVID-19 outbreak. AICC in-charge for Bihar Shaktisinh Gohil has said Congress is fully in support of holding the elections as per schedule even as he underscored the health and safety of voters and poll personnel during the elections.

What South Korea and Singapore taught us

Can elections be held during a pandemic? Countries like South Korea, and more recently Singapore, have shown us a way forward. South Korean elections had proceeded as scheduled in April, at the height of the pandemic, in an orderly and safe manner that earned international laudations. Multiple reports had detailed how the elections were held. Outside the voting booths, "santising stations" were in place; guards ensured the voters had a mask on, and took their temperatures. Those with fever were escorted to a separate booth before being whisked off for testing. Hand santisers were used and gloves were a must. With stickers on the floor, social distancing was enforced.

Those in quarantine or those with the coronavirus were not deprived of the right to vote either. The US-based Wilson Centre reported: "Those in quarantine were allowed to vote outdoors, at temporarily installed polling booths. After voting, they were instructed to return immediately, on foot or in their own cars; travel by public transportation was prohibited. They were required to return home by 7pm, notifying a dedicated public official by app or text message upon their return. For COVID-19 patients, there were specific voting procedures. Patients who were hospitalised and recuperating from home were entitled to vote by paper ballot. Patients recuperating from mild symptoms were eligible to vote at a special early voting polling station set up in care centers on April 10 and 11."

Last week, Singapore also held their general elections. The voting began at 8am, with a special time-slot set aside for senior citizens aged 65 and above. The voting time-bands from 8am to noon were reserved for senior voters aged 65 years and above to minimise their interaction with younger voters .The Election Department (ELD) had apologised to voters for the "longer than usual" queues at polling stations on Friday morning due to wearing of gloves as part of the COVID-19 precaution.

Almost 96 per cent of registered voters (2,565,000 people) cast their ballots in Singapore, a figure higher than the turnout in 2015, which was 2,304,331.

-Inputs from PTI